Yan Liqiang lazily lay in the car with his eyes closed, trying not to think about anything, just feeling the sound of the wheels turning and the slight bumps on the road. The copper incense burner in the car was emitting a faint fragrance. The sun was scorching outside, but the freezer storing ice cubes in the car made the temperature in the car several degrees lower than outside, and he felt very comfortable.
Before he became an official, he thought being an official was very prestigious. But after he gained real power, Yan Liqiang found that being an official was not as easy and good as he had imagined. Especially for a responsible person like him, it is easy to have a life of luxury and enjoy good food every day, but he cannot live such a life with peace of mind. So he can only grit his teeth and carry the burden on his shoulders. Even if he is tired, even if it is hard, even if he is bored, he has to hold on. Sitting in this position, you are the support of others, and you have no one else to rely on!
There is no other way except to make yourself stronger.
Just like at this moment, even if Yan Liqiang wanted to be quiet, Qian Su and Lu Wenbin, who were also sitting in the car with him, still forced Yan Liqiang to handle official business with his eyes closed at this time.
After the carriage left Pingxi City, Qian Su first reported on official business for a full half hour, talking about the current financial revenue and expenditure situation of Qiyun County. Then it was Lu Wenbin's turn to speak for half an hour about the construction of the project in the Shatu people gathering area in Pingxi City. After the two people took turns speaking, more than an hour had passed. The four-wheeled carriage with the three people also traveled dozens of kilometers on the official road with the 500 cavalry guards accompanying it.
During this process, Yan Liqiang kept his eyes closed and didn't make a sound. Qian Su and Lu Wenbin also knew that Yan Liqiang was exhausted from working in the governor's office these days, so they were not surprised...
"The latest court report was just sent to the Governor's Office this morning. I read it. It said that Zhuzhou was indeed hit by a severe drought in July. Although August is not over yet, it looks like the drought will get worse. Zhuzhou's August drought has become permanent. Since March, many places in Zhuzhou haven't had a drop of rain. The Zhu River has almost dried up, and the surface of Pinglan Lake has shrunk by almost half. In addition to the drought, Zhuzhou has also suffered a locust plague this year. The report said that the thousands of miles of fertile fields in Zhuzhou may not yield a single grain this year. The locusts cover the sky and the sun, leaving no grass wherever they pass. In July, some victims in Zhuzhou had already begun to flee the famine, and the court is already trying to mobilize money and grain for disaster relief..."
Qian Su was observing Yan Liqiang's expression while talking about the drought in Zhuzhou. Although the news was published in the court gazette and the location of the news was not conspicuous, Qian Su knew that this was not an ordinary news. In fact, this news touched the hearts of hundreds of millions of people in the Han Empire. The impact of this news was a hundred times more serious than the drought in Zhuzhou itself...
—In May of the 16th year of Yuanping in the Han Dynasty, a solar eclipse occurred in Liuzhou…
—In August of the 16th year of Yuanping in the Han Dynasty, there was a severe drought in Zhuzhou…
The solar eclipse in Liuzhou has already occurred, but there are still people in the capital area who are hoping for the best. The news of the severe drought in Zhuzhou has completely shattered the last line of defense in the hearts of those people who are hoping for the best!
Everything about the Han Empire has already been predicted on the back of the stone turtle. It is still in the capital area, but by this time next year, only its remains will be left.
As Qian Su expected, Yan Liqiang, who had been resting with his eyes closed, finally opened his eyes when he heard the news about the drought in Zhuzhou in the official newspaper. He sighed and said, "Is there any news from the Imperial Capital?"
News from the Imperial Capital would certainly not be written in the official gazette, but the Governor's Office also had sources of news from the Imperial Capital. The Ganzhou Guild Hall and the caravans that traveled to and from the Imperial Capital every month transporting wool products from the world's best factory would bring back first-hand news from the Imperial Capital.
"The Imperial Capital was in a bit of chaos last month, because the Emperor and many dignitaries in the Imperial Capital were concerned about the news from Zhuzhou. They didn't need to wait until the court bulletin was issued to know about it. Instead, news from Zhuzhou reached the Imperial Capital almost every day. Just last month, many dignitaries' families in the Imperial Capital began to evacuate the Imperial Capital in large numbers. There were luxury houses being sold everywhere. The entire Imperial Capital was in a panic, and everyone was trying to find a solution. The houses in the entire Imperial Capital were now completely unsaleable..."
"No matter where those dignitaries and wealthy families go, they have a way out. However, there are many people in the capital area. Is there any evacuation plan in the court's report this time?" Yan Liqiang asked.
"It was mentioned in the court report that Sun Bingchen advocated that all states and counties within the empire should accept the refugees from the capital area according to their distance and proportion, and all places should share the burden. Even Ganzhou seems to have shared the target of evacuating 200,000 people in the western part of the capital. However, although Sun Bingchen's proposal is good, it is definitely not easy to implement. This is not a matter of evacuating hundreds of thousands of people, but tens of millions of people. I feel numb just thinking about it. With so many people fleeing, it is not something that can be solved by the court's order. Once so many people are mobilized, not to mention the capital area, even the situation in several states close to the capital area will probably be chaotic..."
Yan Liqiang also sighed in his heart, he had expected this situation, but compared to letting so many people die silently in the next year's catastrophe without any resistance or struggle, Yan Liqiang felt that no matter what, it would be better to let them know that the catastrophe was coming, and then let them rely on their own abilities to leave the Imperial Capital and find a way to survive. Although the latter might also bring a lot of chaos to the local area, one thing is that at least not so many people would die.
"Is there any news about the White Lotus Sect in the court bulletin?"
The White Lotus Sect is what Yan Liqiang is most worried about at the moment. Given the nature of the White Lotus Sect, Yan Liqiang feels that it would be unreasonable if the White Lotus Sect did not cause some trouble at this time.
Qian Su shook his head. "There is no news about the White Lotus Sect in the court bulletin. I heard that the White Lotus Sect in various parts of the Han Empire has disappeared in the past few months. Even in the places in the south where the White Lotus Sect is rampant, there is no news about the White Lotus Sect. I don't know what the White Lotus Sect is doing!"
Yan Liqiang frowned suddenly. At this time, no news about the White Lotus Sect might be the worst news.
"Uncle Qian, I think we should also make some preparations in Qiyun County. There must be many people fleeing from the capital this time. Although Qiyun County is thousands of miles away from the capital, we can still do our part. The capital is a gathering place for talented people. I think we can send people to the capital to recruit a group of talents, with craftsmen as the priority. Others who have special skills or unique skills and abilities, such as warriors or writers, can all come. As long as one of them is willing to come, we can give him and his family a place to settle down. Uncle Qian, you should find someone to discuss this matter and see what talents we are still lacking and how many people we can accommodate. We can do it when the train returns from Yingwei County..."
"Li Qiang, your idea is good, but it will cost a lot of money to do this, and the Governor's Office doesn't have much money right now. I'm afraid..."
"Don't worry about the money, Uncle Qian. Our Yan family will give you 300,000 taels of silver. Just spend it!"
"It's easy if we have money. If we really want to use this money to settle people, I think we can at least settle tens of thousands of people. It's just that the travel expenses are a bit high. Those people are capable. As long as they come to Pingxi County, they will naturally find jobs to earn money and have no problem supporting their families. Li Qiang, you are really kind..."
"Just be at peace!" Yan Liqiang sighed and said, "By the way, have the machines I asked the craftsmen at the Manufacturing Bureau to research been built?"
"We have been researching the air hammer you mentioned for quite some time and have some ideas. But the coin casting machine you mentioned is a bit difficult. Even if you have drawn the blueprint, the craftsmen are still figuring it out. I am afraid it will take some time..." Qian Su was puzzled when he said, "The craftsmen can understand the function of the air hammer, but I don't know what the coin casting machine you mentioned is used for..."
Yan Liqiang scratched his head. "That coin minting machine can divide gold and silver into small pieces of equal weight..."
"Gold and silver can also be used now, why must it be divided into small pieces? And we need a special machine?" Qian Su asked in confusion.
Yan Liqiang didn't know how to explain it to Qian Su, because casting pieces of gold and silver into currency was of great significance in many ways, but the people of the Han Empire didn't understand it...
(End of this chapter)